1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to surgical fasteners, surgical fastener appliers and methods for connecting body tissue and, more particularly, to bioresorbable screw fasteners, screw fastener appliers, and methods of using the screw fastener applier to fire multiple resorbable screw fasteners to a target surgical site.
2. Description of Related Art
Surgical fasteners are used to eliminate the need for suturing, which is often time consuming and inconvenient. Surgical fasteners accomplish in seconds what would have taken many minutes to accomplish by suturing, thus reducing operating time and trauma to the patient. In hernia repair procedures, for example, the weakened area of the abdominal wall may be reinforced with a synthetic mesh or by suturing the abdominal tissue. In such an instance, a surgical fastener may be used, in lieu of, or in addition to, a surgical suture to fix the position of the mesh.
For example, in some cases titanium staples are utilized to retain the mesh in place. These staples thus become permanent residents in the body cavity. Other fasteners may be utilized which are made of bioresorbable materials, many of which, however, remain in vivo for extended periods of time. A disadvantage of permanent metal staples and/or those that remain in the body for an extended period of time is the possibility of the formation of excessive scar tissue (adhesions), which in turn can cause further patient complications and hinder future surgical procedures. In addition, these permanent or long-term staples may be associated with increased discomfort to the patient over time as a result of the hernia repair procedure.
In view of the widespread use of surgical fasteners, a continuing need exists for improved surgical fasteners, surgical fastener appliers, and methods of applying the surgical fasteners.